jo h n bell



guitar: itato ttmt Qfftr.

A. JOHNBE'L; OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

Letters Patent lVo. 76,148, dated .March 31, 1868.

IMPROVED POLDING GOUGH.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: l

Be it known thatI I, A. Jolly BELL, of Cincinnati, Hamilton county, and State of Ohio, have invented av new 'and luseful Folding Coach; and I do herebydeclare the following tol be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

My invention relates to an arrangement of bedstead, bed-bottom, and mattress, capable of being folded into very compact dimensions when not required for use.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my couch in a'folded condition.

Figure 2 is an under side view of the same in'its open or extended form.

The two ends A A', B B', of the bedstead are -jointed at their middles, and reunited by hinges C, so as to enable the bedstead to be foltled, as shown in. fig. 1. D F are the ,side-rails of the bedstead, and these rails are connected to'the posts by means of hinges dd' and e e';

The bedstead is held to its Iextended position by bars F F' G, \vhich being` inserted in suitable grooves I-I on the inner sides of the bedstead, and pushed to. a position at or near right angles thereto, act to press and hold said .sides apart with great power and force, so as to form, in conjunctionwith the sides and end, a perfectly rigid frame. The removal of these .bars p'ermits the bedsteadto be folded, as shown inf fig. 1.

'The bottom is formed by strips of webhing I, interwoven and attached to the sides and ends of the bedstead, as shown, and upon this bottom the mattress J is formedby suitable upholstery'.

The bottom proper, whether of webbing or other material, should be so attached as to be dra'wn tightest at the middle portion, inorder to countera-ct the sag arising from the greater weight and Stress on that part.

While dcscribing the form preferred by me, I do not restrict myself rigidly thereto; for example, two bars placed some distance from the middle may replace the single transverse bar F. The bottom may be formed of a single Sheet of Canvas, instead 'of the strips of webbing. The bottom itself may be [made with a hinged and stretched frame, substantially as here shown, the same being separate from the bedstead proper.

The folding and stretched bedstead may be used, if desred, with any kind of bottom,' and with or Without a mattress permanently attached thereto.

It will be seen that this device dispens es entirely with slats and Springs.

I claim herein as new, and of my invention-fl I 1. The h'inged and folding bedstead A', B B', C D, E, d cl', e e', capable of e'xtension by means of the bars F F', G, all substa-utially as described. I

2. The combination of hinged folding and extensible bedstead, as above clnimed, with the bottom, I, either with or without the permanent mattress J. i

i In testimony of which invention, I horeunto set my hand.

i A. JOHN BELL.

Witnessesz GEO. H. KNIei-IT, JAMns H. LAYMAN. 

